DAVOS: WHERE THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL MEET

Every year the world’s political and business leaders are joined by a sprinkling of celebrities gather in Davos for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The Swiss resort town has become shorthand for the meeting, which grew from a small group hosted by German academic Klaus Schwab to an event attended by more than 3,000 participants.

President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the World Economic Forum

The WEF describes itself as ‘International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation’ and was founded by economist and engineer Schwab in 1971, the year of the first Davos meeting,

Schwab’s vision was for a body that gave leaders from the world of business and government a chance bring their respective abilities together to spark ideas for solving the world’s economic and social problems.

Politicians themselves were first invited in 1974 and two years later the WEF introduced a membership system for businesses.

The WEF boasts that at Davos, Greece and Turkey held talks to avoid war, East and West Germany discussed unification and North and South Korea held their first ever ministerial meetings.

By and large, though, the summit consists of a lot of meetings where ideas are discussed, which are open to the public.

There are also meetings restricted to paying attendees and also a good deal of behind the scenes deal making.

Companies lay on plenty of food and drink laid to encourage networking among the 900 chief executives and 70 odd world leaders while bands, including in the past The Killers, are on hand to provide entertainment.

For participants, the day often starts with a breakfast invite for 7am and there are parties that last until in the early hours.

To get an invite to Davos you’ll probably have to be a world leader or chief executive and if not then running a socially minded company or NGO.

Or you can get your company to pay 27,000 Swiss francs ($29,000) plus membership of the World Economic Forum and a very expensive hotel.